Book Summary: 

He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

My Review:

Stepping back into the Off-Campus universe, I feel like I never left. The story picks right back up with Logan, Garrett’s best friend and rock star on the ice (and if campus rumors are correct – in other places as well).

For Grace, freshman year at Briar University hasn’t been the most memorable experience. While she has had fun attending parties and meeting people with her roommate and best friend of thirteen years by her side, SHE hasn’t broken out of her shell and done something epic, something wild, something that makes her upcoming birthday worth celebrating (for once). Deciding to sit out one night of partying in exchange for feeding her lust for actions movies, Grace is shocked beyond words when she answers a knock on her dorm room door and finds herself staring at John Logan, star defenseman of the Briar University hockey team and one of the hottest guys on campus!

Having played hockey since he was a kid, Logan has always dreamed of playing for the big leagues – that is until an unfortunate accident in his family sealed his fate, making any possibilities of his NHL dream non-existent. Accepting his post graduate future, Logan is determined to enjoy what life has to offer: women, parties, and did we say women? One problem, he is head over heels for his best friend’s girlfriend and can’t seem to move on. Needing to keep his distance from the happy couple, Logan decides to head to his friends dorm for a party. In his eagerness to escape, he is sans phone as he walks through the quiet halls. Believing he remembers the dorm room number, he knocks to find himself face to face with a gorgeous brunette. Still in need of a distraction and unable to connect with a cab company using her phone, Logan takes advantage of the situation. What was supposed to have been a quiet night in turns into an opportunity of a lifetime for Grace and an whirlwind unexpected revelation for Logan. 

The second book in the series, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. We met Logan in The Deal as Garrett’s best friend and while we believe we know him, we don’t realize we only know him through Garrett’s eyes. It isn’t until we read his story that we discover everything he has been keeping from his best friend. It adds so many layers to his personality and any conclusions we initially drew about his life. I also love that despite his promiscuous ways, he is a really good guy that just wants that special someone, even if he doesn’t realize it (yes – I can hear the cliché too).

In the only way Logan knows how to do things (go big or go home), his screw up was epic! The worst part was that his intentions were good, delayed – severely delayed but good. The problem is, he is still a twenty one year old guy! So while he may have had an angel versus devil shoulder moment, he wasn’t winning any nobility awards. With that being said, those glimpses of his kind heart made you fall in love with him. 

As we continue the exploration of Logan, we find the ideas of sacrifice, loyalty, and commitment are front and center. Logan’s pact with his brother and what he was willing to do in the name of family was beyond comprehension. The notion that he was willing to give up everything, no matter what showed who he was to the core. It was also interesting to see how quick and easy it is for others to judge until they are put in the same situation. 

His struggle with his home life was crushing. To know who your father used to be and have to live with who he is now; BUT not only that, to have him resent you when he used to be your biggest supporter – wow! Adding insult to injury – now you are giving up your dreams for a man who refuses to chose life over booze. His internal struggle with this was devastating.

As Kennedy has demonstrated in the first book of this series, with heart comes lust. She knows how to write scenes that leave you blinking uncontrollably and fanning yourself. The fact that there was more action between Logan and Grace before they actually slept together is a fun reminder of how much you can do with a someone without it ending with someone on their back and clothes on the floor. 

Last but not least – I LOVE EPILOGUES! I absolutely love the wrap up of this book! We aren’t left wondering what happens, we get a glimpse into where the gang is going and I can’t wait to find out more.

I am consumed by the world Kennedy is beginning to build. Hannah was so instrumental in Logan’s romance and to see the transformation of Garrett make me want to keep reading this series. I can’t wait to dive into Dean’s story and see how these layers keep building!